BY JAMES SIMONS
Controversial comedian Russell Brand , has announced he is stopping his you Tube Show, The Trews, and taking a break from Facebook and Twitter to spend more time learning. Brand whose youtube channel commands up to 2million followers said in a video titled ”final episode of THe TRews-Goodbye and Goodluck, said ”I think we have gone as far as we can with the Trews for now. I am not going to be doing THe TRews, I’m not going to be on Twitter or Facebook, I’m going to be learning because I know real change is coming. The media behave in a very sort of predictable and formulaic manner. If you speak about the process, you become the recipient,(of what?) the target of such incredible condemnation. In a way it is overwhelming and in other ways understandable”.
Brand, who publicly interviewed and supported former Labour leader, ED Milliband, during last May’s election, has taken some responsibility for Milliband’s failed bid to become Prime Minister by attributing the failure to MIlliband’s public association with Brand. He subsequently vowed not to get involved in politics ever again, but only a few days ago pledged his support to Jeremy Corbyn, who is the front runner for the Labour party but who has a numbe rof detractors that warn of an impending disaster that will make the party indefinitely unelectable if he wins. He dismissed their rivals Yvette Cooper, Andy Burlane, and Liz Kendell as all being by the side., and added they could all have pissed of Tony Blair.
”It seems to be that Jeremy Corbyn is being attacked by the media and establishment because because he is talking on behalf of ordinary people”, he stated. First of all, Brand seems to have completely forgotten about the negative effect his support for Milliband had on his chances, even though there is nothing to suggest the outcome would have been different in the absence of his interview and affiliation with the displaced former Labour leader. It becomes difficult to know what to make of a celebrity who declares his hatred for politicians and politics, but then proceeds to actively involve himself in political matters then promises to stop but does not stop. The question becomes whether or not this man is double minded or just not sure what he wants.
Brand was recently voted the 4th most intellectual thinker by prospect magazine, putting him in the same bracket as Thomas Picketting, Nobel Prize winner, Paul Krugman, German Philospoher Jurgen Haberness and the other 6 ranked lower than him on the list. On what basis was his name included on this list? When eye of media contacted Prospect magazine for an explanation, they said the content of the magazine was decided at head office, but nobody picked up the phone at head office when we called.The Essex born comedian seems to be fairly intelligent and not stupid, but often betrays any intelligence one might want to accord to him. Brand’s war seems to be with the media,- the same media that built him into the success that has given him the platform he now enjoys and uses to express his views without constraint. Let’s not forget that this is the same man who once said that the Islamic flag should fly above Buckingham palace, and who also thought it was funny to ironically congratulate the Queen for not dying, and proceeded to criticise why she is referred to as ‘her Majesty”. Add to that his comments at a event this year in relation to drug users that lots of people there were high on drugs, and alarm bells start ringing in earnest as to what motivates some of his provocative and unnecessary comments.
Now, Brand tells us he will close his youtube channel and stay away from facebook and Twitter. Here comes the valid question of what we should make of him if he reneges on his promise. With a steady following, Brand definitely has his fans who love his audacity and boundless proclivity to shock and be daring. Yet whilst there is nothing wrong with being daring, the problem with this arises when the line is being crossed at the expense of innocent parties whose interests he clearly fails to consider. It therefore should be obvious why Brand receives criticism from the media
